Little Brave Hearts || Neville Longbottom

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

One thing about Neville was that behind his timid demeanor, was an actual clever person who could have been sorted into Ravenclaw and everyone would think that it the right house for him.

Maykha had finally given up on her Herbology homework, proving that plants and her never went along. It was something about memorizing their properties and how one plant can concoct a several different potions with different abilities.

"Okay so, Dittany is a very important ingredient for healing potions. A raw Dittany can be consumed for superficial to moderate wounds. Basically, it will simply haste the regeneration of the skin," Neville explained as he focused on the book, "However, if you add silver, it will aid in curing a werewolf-inflicted wound, and shredded Dittany is used in Wiggenwald potion which is used also as healing and replenishing stamina. Get it?"

"I think so," Maykha nodded as she tried to absorb every information that Neville had just said, however, there was one thing she got curious of, "but wait, you mentioned werewolf earlier, right? Why is it so specific about healing a werewolf-inflicted wound? Do werewolves here have special powers?"

It was the mention of another mythical creature that piqued Maykha's interest. From the books she had read as a child, werewolves were often depicted as the bad guy, a creature that could change its form from human to a wolf. She never liked werewolves, and her father would often use it to scare her when she was younger, but gaining the knowledge of their existence brought her a strong sense of curiosity and excitement.

Neville, however, had his brows formed in a knot, "By special powers, you mean lycanthropy?"

"Yeah...what's that?"

"I don't think you can call it a special powers, but rather, a d-disease." Neville became uncomfortable as he continued explaining, "You see, lycanthropy, the disease you can get by being bitten by werewolf, is a condition without a cure. So, one who lived a normal life could get himself bitten by a werewolf and become infected, if he was treated by the Dittany and Silver mixture, he will then have to live his whole life with the condition where they turn into a fearsome creatures with a dangerous state of mind."

Hearing such things, Maykha suddenly felt bad for being excited over their existence. Being a werewolf was nothing like those muggle stories she had read, and there were even some books that romanticized its condition.

Neville had no idea what Maykha expected when she asked him about werewolves. However, as he noticed the sudden change of the girl's mood, he tried to quickly change their topic.

"B-but, we have an aid for Lycanthropy as a recent discovery, which will lead us to our next topic, Aconite..."

The more he tried to teach Maykha, the more uncomfortable he became with the girl's piercing stare. She had her chin rested in her palm as she watched him speak, causing his face to suddenly feel hot.

Hiding his face using the book, Neville finally stopped teaching and sighed, "W-why a-are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing, I'm just really amazed by how much you know about these stuff," she answered. "You're really smart, Nevy."

Neville was not someone who knew how to receive a compliment as he rarely got one. Reading was what helped him get through a class, and plants were definitely his sanctuary, and being complimented by such reason made him feel like a fraud.

"I-I'm n-not smart. I-it's just that...it's about herbology and I j-just happen to b-be interested in that. If anything, you're the s-sma—"

"Neville," Maykha called, cutting off his ramblings, "this is where you say thank you."

He stared at Maykha with the book still covering the bottom half of his face for a while, before averting his eyes and whispered, "T-thank you."

"See? It's easy, isn't it?" Maykha said, grinning as she playfully poked his cheek.

It was an odd feeling having someone complimenting him, appreciating the things he did, and not pushing him to do the things he could not.

Having been raised by a grandmother who made sure to remind him of her contempt for her own grandson, Neville did not grow in an environment where compliments were thrown easily. For that reason, Maykha was a like a breathe of fresh air for him. She would say things he had not heard, teach him things he had not taught, and introduce him to a part of himself that he did not know he had.

Bringing the book down on the desk, Neville stared at Maykha, "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Make things simple."

To his surprise, the girl chuckled at his question, "Because it is simple, Nevy. You don't have to overcomplicate things. People compliment you because they acknowledge your traits, and you show appreciation to their acknowledgment by saying thank you. Easy right?"

Neville simply looked at the girl in awe. It was that moment, as the setting sun flashed golden rays of its light from the window, Maykha seemed to be shining so bright, warming the center of his chest.